tonight at 10: the leaders of the four main parties at westminster are grilled by voters in a question time election special. there were uncomfortable moments for them all as they made their pitches, with less than three weeks to go before polling day. we're a very ambitious one nation conservative government. we have amazing plans for this country, investing in education, investing in health and that's what we want to get on with and we need to get brexit done to do it. this is an opportunity for our country to come together, deal with the inequality, injustice and poverty... 0k. ..and actually go forward to the future with some real degree of hope. meanwhile, nicola sturgeon and jo swinson were both challenged on their views over scottish independence and cancelling brexit. i can't force scotland to choose independence, just as i can't force the uk to stay

in the eu, but i do believe we should have that choice, so that whatever path we take as a country, whatever kind of country we are going to become, it's one we've chosen ourselves. in this election, my conscience would not be clear if i didn't make sure that right across the country, people have the chance to vote for a remain party, for a candidate that wants to stop brexit, because this might be the last chance that we have to stop it. tonight, jeremy corbyn revealed he'd stay neutral in any new eu referendum he'd call as prime minister. we'll have the latest. also tonight... grace millane was strangled by a 27—year—old man she met online while visiting new zealand. but her parents say his conviction, won't ease their pain. grace was our sunshine and she will be missed forever. she did not deserve to be murdered in such a barbaric way. a group of orphaned british children caught up in the war in syria return to the uk.

two weeks to write 2a songs. and, a tight schedule for robbie williams, adapting david walliams's bestselling book into a musical. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news: drama in madrid as dan evans clinches the victory against germany, as great britain book their place in the semi—finals of the davis cup. good evening. with less than three weeks to go to the election, the leaders of the four biggest parties at westminster have been given a grilling by members of the public in a special edition of the bbc‘s question time. jeremy corbyn revealed he would stay neutral in the event of a new brexit referendum,

which he says a labour government would deliver, while boris johnson was forced to defend the conservatives' handling of the nhs and explain why voters should trust him. the studio audience in sheffield also asked tough questions of the liberal democrat leader, jo swinson, on her plan to scrap brexit if she becomes prime minister. for the snp, nicola sturgeon was quizzed whether she prioritised scottish independence over brexit. this report from our deputy poltical editorjohn pienaar in sheffield contains some flash photography. he is looking confident, it's what he does but this campaign isjust getting going. everything is still to play for. just look atjeremy corbyn. young voters often like him and he needs them. jeremy corbyn! but tonight he wants to reach more than just the converted. so does the lib dems leaderjo swinson, keen to build more momentum. and snp leader

nicola sturgeon. for them all, it's a big night. first up, the labour leader and forjeremy corbyn, a clear a nswer to leader and forjeremy corbyn, a clear answer to the brexit question that has dogged him. will you campaign to remain or leaving the eu if elected? why would anyone vote for labour not knowing the answer to that question? his answer was neither one and his frustration showed. we will negotiate a credible deal with the eu. secondly, we will put that alongside remain in a referendum. i will adopt a neutral sta nce referendum. i will adopt a neutral stance so that i can credibly carry out the results of that, to bring oui’ out the results of that, to bring our communities and country together. then, a question that hurt him. anti—semitism in the party, his own treatment of a jewish mp.l jewish mp was heckled at that press co nfe re nce jewish mp was heckled at that press conference and there you are at the end of the press conference chatting happily to that same heckler. i don't buy this nice old grandpa, i see that video and that shows me all

i need to know. misogynist, racism in anyform i need to know. misogynist, racism in any form is not acceptable whatsoever. there is a big question over the union. the snp wants a referendum, he says not his priority, so when? what does the early years mean, year two, three, four? the early years, the first two yea rs, four? the early years, the first two years, at least. another answer that will be remembered but nicola sturgeon once more and hopes to get it if no party wins the election outright. if there is a hung parliament, what is the price of your cooperation with a minority government? i could not in good conscience ever put borisjohnson into number ten downing st. applause in terms of what i would seek to win from a minority labour government, obviously i would ask for and expect jeremy corbyn to respect the right of the scottish people to choose

their own future. and if she wanted another brexit referendum... you wa nt another brexit referendum... you want a referendum on the brexit but not for independence? the point i'm making is i don't think the position we are in now with brexit had to be like this. it was down to bad planning. jo swinson next, potential power broker as well but the lib dems to one question i was still carrying the baggage of being junior party to the tories in coalition. do you regret consistently voting with the conservatives in favour of harsh and uncaring benefit cuts? there are far, far too many people in our country living in poverty and life is too hard and we did not get everything right. the lib dems pledged to block brexit came with a cast, the anger of leavers. is revoking article 50 confirming to 17.4 million people that were stupid and didn't know what we are voting

for? pat you want to leave and that doesn't make you a bad person, i wa nt doesn't make you a bad person, i want to remain in the eu and i hope that means you don't think i'm a bad person. you can disagree but your loss. i can't change my view and if i think we're better off in the european union. and some anger from those who never want to brexit at all. the lib dems standing on a mandate to unilaterally cancel brexit has cost you my vote. this is the essence of democracy. i'm telling you honestly what i would do ifi telling you honestly what i would do if i was elected as prime minister, i would revoke article 50 and if you vote me into that position, i will do what i've said i will do. then, the one they all want out of his job and a tricky one for borisjohnson, who is so often accused of bending and breaking the truth, this time to his face. how important is it for someone his face. how important is it for someone in your position of power to always tell the truth?|j someone in your position of power to always tell the truth? i think its... ‘si always tell the truth? i think its... ‘s i think the issue of trust

in politics is central to this election and fundamental to the corrosion of trust in politics at at the moment is... let's be clear are you being upset? the failure of politicians to deliver brexit. we have a deal and it's a good deal. it will allow us, it's a great deal, it's there and ready to go. i get tired of saying, other than ready. potentially awkward moment used to make the case for brexit. no shortage of tough ones, this one to the man who compared muslims in bikers to bank robbers and letterboxes. will you admit you have contributed to racism being rife and say the words, i'm sorry? i've written many words in my life as a journalist and i genuinely never intended to cause hurt or pain. what i was really doing is mounting a

strong liberal defence of the right of women in this country to wear what they choose. and again, could the country believe what he says? while ned should i believe another pledge that you will recruit an additional 6000 gps over the course of the next parliament? well, richard. 5000 more doctors this year than last year. we are making progress. yes, of course i want more gps and of course i want more investment in the nhs. we are putting in, now, the biggest ever cash boost into the nhs under this one nation conservative government. he'd survive the ordeal, they all did. borisjohnson he'd survive the ordeal, they all did. boris johnson even he'd survive the ordeal, they all did. borisjohnson even seemed pleased or at least relieved with how it had gone. trust is an issue for all the leaders in this campaign and somehow they all seemed rather defensive. john pienaar, bbc news, sheffield. so, what do voters watching at home make of the leaders' performances? well, reeta chakra barti is in norwich for us tonight.

well, clive, norwich is a city that isa well, clive, norwich is a city that is a city of two halves. there are two constituencies here, one conservative and one labour. for this politically mixed place, we assembled a group of people to watch tonight's debate at a local performing arts centre and there we re performing arts centre and there were some very fiery reactions. going for broke, young dancers at the art centre showing off their moves. they are too young to follow the twists and turns of politics, but for our selected audience, what sort of performance to the party leaders put in tonight? two hours of heated debate and that was just in this room. it's a snapshot of opinion that our selected audience was provoked and sometimes infuriated by what they were watching. they are an utter disgrace! passions were running

really high in this room during the debate. can i have a quick show of hands, who found the debate useful in terms of making up their mind how to vote ? in terms of making up their mind how to vote? three people. right. it speaks volumes. laughter itjust confirmed to me, this is a one issue election for me like none other before. i think we've all got other before. i think we've all got other issues, domestic issues, that we would like to see addressed but i think we've seen over the last three years, government has been paralysed by brexit. for me, this is a brexit election. johnny, this debate, as it confirmed you in your opinion in terms of how you will vote or confuse you? it hasn't confused me but i was undecided going into the debate. having watched it for two hours, i've realised they are all flawed individuals. they are all weak leaders. they have all got bad track records. i can't trust any of them and! track records. i can't trust any of them and i still don't know who i'm going to vote for. nicole, you are

somebody who didn't put your hand up when i asked had this debate help to you, why not? no, because no one represented a younger demographic. we do not share the same values. no one spoke up for young people, issues that concern as our mental health, climate change, social services, knife crime in london, asking why is knife crime taking place question might be because a lack of funding and cuts in youth services. none of the candidates address that issue. from all this audience there were lots of moans and groans during the debate. were there any parts of it you found uplifting? yeah, i was quite convinced by nicola sturgeon, although i can't vote for her and i feel a bit frustrated actually that none of the leaders from the english parliament were very convincing. some decided, some still floating, all with strongly held views. our

audience's reaction reflected the divided nation in this deeply unpredictable election. our deputy political editorjohn pienaar is in sheffield where tonight's election question time took place. we heard the views of some of the people in norwich who watched the debate and watched the discussion. how do you think this evening will go down with many across the country? we saw this evening, clive, the pressure on the leaders was absolutely unrelenting. the audience did theirjob, truly did theirjob. ferocious disputes between leaders and their supporters, that's absolutely a part of healthy politics. but now i think we are seeing the level of trust between the british people in british politics at such a low level that it defies all records in modern times. it isa defies all records in modern times. it is a depressing but i think true thing to say that this election could well be determined by which

leader is distrusted least. boris johnson may come away from this, the incumbent prime minister, content, may be relieved he did nothing to blow his consistent lead in the opinion polls but given the vast uncertainties of brexit and the huge scale of the promises being made during this election campaign, with the capacity, the potential the deep disillusionment and disappointment afterwards, i think we could be at a point where this election and its aftermath could conceivably damage that relationship between people and politics to the point that whoever wins, they find it very difficult if not impossible to repair. 0k, thank you. john pina live in sheffield. well, we heard from four of the main party leaders tonight, and in a week's time voters will be hearing from all seven leaders or senior figures, who's parties are contesting the election. that debate will be held in cardiff and broadcast live on bbc one and on bbc radio 5 live, and hosted by nick robinson.

the leader of the brexit party, nigel farage, has unveiled their election policies, promising what he calls a "political revolution that puts ordinary people first". apart from leaving the european union, there's a pledge to cut the foreign aid budget, abolish the house of lords and put a cap on permanent immigration, at 50,000 people a year. our political correspondent, alex forsyth has more. nigel farage! he might be synonymous with brexit but, today, nigel farage tried to widen his pitch, setting out what else his party stands for, insisting it has a place. we now want to lead the next phase, which is a political revolution that puts the ordinary people first. maintaining his anti—establishment stance, this was not called a manifesto but a contract with the people. not a programme for government — he knows he won't get there — but a small book calling for big change. a new voting system, capping immigration, cutting the cost of living.

a pitch to labour voters now he's pulled out of tory seats. the question, though, is his strategy right? would it make sense for us to stand against sitting conservatives when they are now beginning to say the right thing? that wouldn't have made sense. we're taking on labour in their heartlands. in those seats, we are the challenger, and if we can get brexit party voices in the house of commons, we can then keep boris to his promises. you've effectively said the conservatives can get brexit over the line, so you've cut what is your central message... well, what i've said is... ..at the knees. what i've said is the conservatives have shifted their position because we exist. if we didn't exist... but the conservatives have now shifted their position... yeah, and... so why would you vote for the brexit party? because the conservative party have let us down over the course of the last three and half years by making promises and not delivering on them. in coventry, where the party first launched, they are still standing, trying to tap into brexit frustration. nigel farage says he needs mps in parliament to keep brexit on track, but he's struggled to turn support into seats in the past

and there is a risk, in limiting where his party is standing, that he's put it on the sidelines of this contest. in this labour area, some brexit party supporters aren't persuaded. farage has got some really good policies. i agree with a lot of the stuff. i feel that staying with the conservatives, hopefully, the deal will go through. at the pilot pub, jim had a similar view. farage has done a good job as far as getting out of europe. i agree with a lot of them things. but as far as a general election, it will split the vote. but for some avid brexit party backers, the only wish is they were standing more widely. i think they should have stuck it out, gone for all the 600—odd seats, because i think the people of this country are so sick of the people in parliament today. that's what this campaign is banking on — a brexit backlash to win support, but it might not be an easy ride. alex forsyth, bbc news. meanwhile, plaid cymru is promising a £20 billion

investment, in what it calls a ‘green jobs revolution' for wales. launching its election manifesto, the party's leader, adam price, said there would also be major investment in rail and bus services, a new offshore wind farm, and three tidal lagoons to generate electricity. he also talked about his ambition, for an independent wales. here's hywel griffith. once, these valleys powered britain's industrial revolution. now the rhondda's coal mines have become museums. post—industrial wales is a place struggling with its political identity, where some sense an opportunity. plaid cymru sees this brexit election as a chance to sell its vision. although most people here voted to leave the eu, it wants wales to remain as an independent nation. we want to be at the heart of europe, on our own terms, in our own right, standing proud. the party's manifesto calls for

another referendum on eu membership. it also pledges thousands ofjobs from green energy projects, like tidal lagoons and wind farms. and it offers an extra £35 a week for every child in a low—income family. as it sets out ideas for the future, plaid has been drawing on the past and talking about wales as a country once rich in natural resources like coal, which has been stripped of its assets and left in poverty. it has demanded reparation payments to be made after decades of what the leader calls "british rule". adam price wants £20 billion to reboot a nation. who should pay this money? what we're saying is, the uk government should actually increase its level of infrastructure investment. as a debt owed to wales, as reparation payments? look, as an investment in our own future. exactly what the welsh contribution... some of these first—time voters say they are curious about independence,

but are they persuaded to back plaid? in theory, i am indy—curious, because i do like the idea. but i really don't see myself voting in that direction. i don't think people know the ins and outs of how, like, how a trade deal would be formed, how we would get money into the country, what we would export, and i feel like, because of that, it's a big stumbling block for people. remaining in europe, breaking out of the uk, plaid hopes its manifesto can bring more voters on board. hywel griffith, bbc news, pontypridd. a man who strangled a british backpacker in new zealand and hid her body in a suitcase, has been found guilty of murder. grace millane was discovered buried in bushland outside auckland last december. the family of the 21 year old wept in court, as the killer who can't be named, was convicted. shaimaa khalil‘s report from auckland, contains some distressing details. this is grace millane the night before her 22nd birthday, in december. the last time she was seen alive. she arrived in auckland last november after graduating from the university of lincoln.

grace had been on a round the world trip and travelled to new zealand after spending six weeks in south america. today, united in their grief, david and gillian millane left court after their daughter's killer was convicted of murder. grace was taken away from us in the most brutal fashion a year ago. our lives and family have been ripped apart. grace was a beautiful, talented, loving daughter. grace was our sunshine and she will be missed for ever. she did not deserve to be murdered in such a barbaric way. grace's killer appeared in court today. his identity cannot be disclosed for now, due to a court order. cctv showed the pair out drinking, but, within hours, she was strangled in his apartment in a hotel in the city. this is the killer telling

police why he didn't call an ambulance to help grace. i dialled 111. i didn't hit the button. because i was scared how bad it looked. why did you think it looked bad? well, because...a dead person in my room. the jury heard that, after the murder, the man searched online for how to dispose of a corpse and watched extreme pornography. they also saw him going out on a date with another woman, while grace's body was still in his room. this is him later, moving the body in a suitcase. he then buried it in a shallow grave in bushland on the outskirts of auckland. the defence argued that grace died accidentally, that this was a consensual sex act gone wrong. but the jury simply didn't believe it. they heard forensic evidence of how grace endured sustained pressure

on her neck for 5—10 minutes. they also heard the prosecution's argument that the killer sexualised her death by taking intimate photos of her dead body. grace's murder shocked this nation. the outpouring of sorrow and support was felt strongly by her family. we would love to thank the people of new zealand. they have opened their hearts to grace and ourfamily. we must return home and try and pick up the pieces of our lives and day—to—day without our beloved grace. today's verdict brings some justice for grace's family, but it will not bring back the daughter they say will be missed for ever. shaimaa khalil, bbc news, auckland. the first group of orphaned british children, to be allowed to return to the uk from an area of northern syria, once controlled by the islamic state

group, have arrived back in britain. our diplomatic correspondent james landale is with me. what more do we know? these children we re what more do we know? these children were from one family and they were taken to syria in 2015 and they were orphaned there. there are reporting restrictions in place to protect them so we cannot name them, but according to thejudge them so we cannot name them, but according to the judge they arrived in london this morning and they were in good spirits in his words and after a ll in good spirits in his words and after all that time he said they immediately recognised other family members when they got home which he considered a good sign. thejudge said they seems to have settled in and were as happy as they possibly could be under the circumstances but the question is now what happens to the question is now what happens to the other british children who remain held in detention camps in northern syria. charities are pushing for them to be released and repatriated and they estimate there are about 60 of them left. i would not expect large numbers soon. there are logistical difficulties of finding them and negotiating their release, they are the legal

difficulties of finding out who has rights over some of these children's and security issues about whether they are in their mothers home but thatis they are in their mothers home but that is a risk stop the prime minister says he will do everything he can but it will be over optimistic to expect of these children to be repatriated. the problem is they are living in abject conditions and some charities fear they will not survive the winter. james, thanks for joining they will not survive the winter. james, thanks forjoining us. let's take a look at some of the day's other top stories. a 51year—old man has been found guilty of the murder of his heavily pregnant ex—wife with a crossbow. ramanodge unmathallegadoo was angry that sana muhammad had remarried and started a new family in east london. he'll be sentenced at a later date. sana muhammad's baby survived. glasgow's nhs board is being put into special measures, after the deaths of two young patients, who were treated on a hospital ward affected by water contamination. they died two years ago at the royal hospital for children after developing infections. greater manchester police have been accused ofjeopardising

the start of the public inquiry into the manchester arena bombing, in which 22 people died. a hearing's been told the force missed a deadline to provide statements from officers on duty on the night. an investigation is underway into how a grade two listed hotel on eastborne's seafront, was destroyed by fire. six people were treated for minor injuries at the claremont hotel, though all the guests and staff managed to escape, before the fire took hold. prince andrew has today been riding with the queen in the grounds of windsor castle, the first time he's been seen with his mother since stepping down from royal duties. but the fallout continues following his bbc newsnight interview, concerning his friendship with the convicted sex offenderjeffrey epstein. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell is at buckingham palace for us tonight. not a good wait for the royal family, a disastrous one for andrew, organisations are cutting their ties

to him, the english national ballet, the royal philharmonia orchestra dropping him as patron, ardbeg is expected to follow, and berkeley is latest financial institution to end their support for pitch at the palace which is andrew's initiative helping new businesses —— others expected to follow, and barclays bank is the latest financial institution to end their support. possibly his private secretary is moving across to be chief executive of pitch at the palace. it is a demonstration of the queen and the prince of wales this weight very when they perceived a reputational risk to the monarchy itself —— this week. for andrew may be more difficulties and the bbc says their panorama investigation will be transmitted on the 2nd of december which will contain the first british television interview with the young woman virginia roberts. nick, thanks

for joining woman virginia roberts. nick, thanks forjoining us. ‘the boy in the dress', the best selling children's book, written by the tv star david walliams, has been turned into a musical, with the help of the royal shakespeare company and the singer robbie williams. it's about a 12 year old footballer who wants to wear a dress, and robbie williams had just two weeks to write the songs. here's our arts editor will gompertz. # though it feels so right to me # how do i know that it isn't wrong?...# you gave us two weeks! two weeks to write 24 songs. # feel like i belong #. elton john wrote the songs for billy elliott in one week. yeah, but i can go... but, you know, i can't... i don't know how to do that! words are very different. i bet eltonjohn did, but i bet you... lee hall, i think, wrote the lyrics. well, i bet you lee hall took about two months to think of the words. ok, all right. # you have to admit

that's a perfect fit # i've never dressed up like a girl # you wouldn't ever know it... # it's written before you had a child. it's written before instagram and social media has become a big thing. if you were writing it today, would you write it differently? i hope not, because i think the theme is always relevant, because the theme is what it is to be different and the celebration of someone who has the courage to be different and do their own thing. the interesting thing is, that debate has kind of moved on a lot in ten years, because when the book came out, it wasn't much of a success commercially, because i think that people were quite resistant to maybe the title of the book. and then the creative process? my process is, "i'm going into the studio today to get a hit." you know, where i think that other people that may have written musicals before are thinking

about the book and the journey and where it needs to go and the elements, it's like, each individual song, i'm just thinking should be a number one somewhere in the history of music. # dance, dance, dance # forget about tomorrow #. does this show relate to shakespeare? i think it does in a way. there was a point where i decided on a cunning piece of programming, which was that we would do as you like it and the boy in the dress, so the girl in the trousers and the boy in the dress. you know, rosalind in as you like it puts on her trousers and understands in the boy in the dress. # dance, dance, dance!# that report by will gompertz. that's it. now on bbc one, time for the news where you are. have a very good night.